A Furry Surprise
by futureauthor13
Summary: "Pops, just tell me what's in the-" Meow! ... "Pops, did that box just meow?" Oneshot.


**I know I should be working on something "It Runs in the Family" related, but darn it! This idea was just too cute! Enjoy!**

"Thanks for coming Pops. Normally I would ask Skips but..."

"I assure you, my good man, tis' no trouble at all!" The lolliman gave Benson a giddy smile. The gumball machine was moving a few things to storage, as well as bringing a few things up. A lot of things were fragile, and Skips was busy. Knowing the two slackers would screw something up, Benson asked Pops and of course, the lolliman agreed in a second.

"Well, here we are," Benson said as he stopped at a door, gold colored numbers bolted to the wood. Benson inserted the key, and turned the knob. Pops stood on his tippy toes, curious to see what his friend's apartment looked like.

To his surprised, it looked very... empty. There was a small kitchenette, a chair, a tv, and that was it. Even the walls were a plain white, the carpet a pale green. Pops blinked. 'Oh my, his home is already empty,' he thought, his tone almost sad, 'what could he possibly get rid of?'

"The stuff's in my room, I'll start bringing out boxes," Benson said nonchalantly, "Just make yourself at home."

"Alright." The lolliman looked around a little more. While looking by Benson's chair, his eyes grabbed onto the first sign of color and pulled him towards it. Two frames, shattered and cracked. They were lying on the ground, empty. Next to them, leaning against the wall, were two new frames. Inside were two pictures of cats. A couple siamese and a black and white cat.

"How cute!" Pops cooed, picking up a picture. He giggled. Who would've thought Benson of all people would have pictures of cats in his apartment? "But then again, who doesn't love kittens?"

"Pops?" Pops turned around, and saw Benson with a box.

"Benson! Did you paint these?" Pops asked. Benson laughed.

"No way. There's a reason I took up music and not art." He walked over and looked at the picture, smiling. "No, my sister painted these."

"They're quite lovely."

"Yeah, she sent them to me for a Christmas present. I think it was meant to be a gag gift but, hey, I needed something to put on the walls." Pops looked at Benson. He was a nice fellow, a little loud but still kind, brave, responsible, intelligent, really the best park manager and friend he could ask for. But, there was something about this apartment, it seemed... lonely.

"Benson, do you like cats?"

"Yeah," Benson replied, still looking at the picture, "I mean, they aren't as much trouble as dogs or mice. They're good pets." He smiled. "And, come on, I may be harsh some times but who doesn't like cats?"

"My thoughts exactly!" Pops smiled. Just then, he got an idea, making him smile even brighter. "Well, I suppose we should start moving, shall we?"

"Oh, yeah, sure," said Benson, putting the picture down. He got another box for Pops to carry, and the two walked back downstairs. Well, Benson walked. Pops was practically dancing down the stairs.

The gumball machine couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at this. Sure, Pops was a cheerful person, but he seemed happier than usual. What could he be so happy about? What was he up to?

()()()()()()()()()

Sunday. A day off. Benson sat down in his chair with a cold, crisp soda and a small bowl of chips. Instant lunch. He wasn't planning to do much today. Go grocery shopping, watch a little tv, maybe finish that book he got a couple weeks ago and of course, catch up on rest.

Turning the tv on some news show, Benson picked up a potato chip, perfectly salted and flavored. He opened his mouth and...

*knock knock knock* He sighed. "Every single time," he mumbled as he turned off the tv, and stood up. Walking to the door, he prayed it wasn't Skips telling him something had gone wrong... again.

"Hello, my good man!" Benson blinked. Standing in front of him was Pops, smiling happily holding a small shoebox.

"Pops? What are you doing here?" Benson asked, "and, what's in the box?"

The lolliman just simply giggled. "Well, open it up and see for yourself!"

Benson made a face. He didn't really like guessing games, and he _really _didn't like surprises. "Pops, just tell me what's in the-" Mew! ... "Did that box just meow?"

Slowly, Benson opened the box and a small siamese kitten greeted him. "Mew!" it cried again. It looked just a little bit bigger than a softball, with shiny black and white fur and curious blue eyes.

"Surprise!" Pops shouted happily, "I picked her up at the Animal Orphanage this morning!"

"Pops, I can't keep her." The lolliman's heart fell like a ton of rocks.

"But, but you said that you liked cats," Pops reminded.

"Pops, I said I liked them. I didn't say I wanted one!" He pinched his nose. 'He probably spent days planning this,' he thought, praying the lolliman wouldn't start tearing up.

"Well, why don't you want one?" Pops asked, "She's soft and caring and, and look! She already likes you!" Benson looked down at the cat in the box. She was staring at him with big eyes, purring softly. She did look kinda cute... he quickly looked away.

"I can't keep her, Pops," Benson repeated, "I just can't."

Pops pouted. "Give me three good reasons why not," he retorted. Pops hated arguing, but he didn't feel like he had a choice. He had seen his father use the 'three reasons' argument plenty of times. Usually if the person couldn't come up with three reasons, they would give into whatever deals his father wanted to make. Pops was sure that Benson wouldn't be able to come up with three reasons.

Surprised at Pops' tone, Benson cleared his throat. "Well, the first reason: Cats cost a lot of money," he said, counting off the expenses on his fingers, "shots, food, litter, toys, a bed..."

"Well, I could give you a raise!" Pops said quickly.

"Pops..."

"I believe I have a couple hundreds here..." Pops continued, getting out his wallet filled with lollipops.

"Pops! I don't want special treatment and I don't want to be some charity case!" Pops froze, and so did Benson. The room was silenced, even the small kitten was mute. Looking down at the floor ashamed, Benson muttered, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell."

"It's alright," Pops said, giving him a forgiving smile, "and besides, it wouldn't be special treatment or a charity. It would be a gift, just like her." Benson sighed. He just couldn't make this easy on him, could he?

"Two," Benson continued, "I work at the park all day. It isn't exactly fair to her to be alone all day."

Pops smile fell. He hadn't really thought about that. Benson did work at the park all day, from eight in the morning to almost seven at night. Only rarely did he go home around four or five. There were even some days where Benson was so exhausted from work and it was so late, he simply took a shower at the house and crashed in the guest bedroom. It wouldn't exactly be fair for a poor little kitten to be alone in a big, empty apartment all day.

"W-well, you can always give her plenty of toys to play with," Pops suggested, "and, I've read that felines like solitary, so they can rest and relax. Besides, that would make the time you do spend with her all the more special."

Benson sighed again. "I guess, but..." Benson heard a mew, but ignored it. "Reason number three:..." Mew! Benson looked down, and saw the kitten climbing out of the box towards Benson. Her paw slipped, and she fell forward just a little. But even so, Benson immediantly put his hands underneith her paw.

Taking this chance, she climbed out of the box and onto his metal arm. Quickly, Benson grabbed the cat. For such a small thing, she sure was warm, and squirmy. Crying out, she nearly slipped out of his hands. But Benson quickly caught her once again and brought her closer to him.

The kitten stopped squirming. She sniffed Benson's body and glass head. He smelt like cherries. He felt cold, but he felt alive as well. And strong, protective, safe. Purring deeply, the kitten began to rub her cheeks against his shoulder.

The look on Benson's face was priceless. It was almost as if he couldn't believe a creature he just met was now cuddling with him. A giggle snapped Benson out of his trance.

"I told you she like you, Benson." Benson looked up and saw Pops smiling at him. Blushing slightly, he scowled and looked away. "So, what were you about to say, my good man?"

Benson honestly couldn't remember. Which meant that he had lost the argument. But, was that really such a bad thing? Benson picked the kitten up, and held her out in front of him. He stared at her, she stared back. After a few moments of this, Benson held the kitten close again (much to her happiness) and looked at Pops.

"I'll try keeping her for a week," he said sternly, "if there's any trouble, I'm taking her back to the animal shelter."

Pops smiled widely. "Good show!" he shouted gleefully, "Jolly good show!"

"Hey!" Pops stopped. "I didn't say I would keep her, I said I would try it for a week to see how it works out." Pops silenced himself, but continued smiling happily.

"Well, I should be going, you two need to get acquainted after all." He started to leave when he stopped. "Oh! Benson, what are you going to name her."

Benson thought. Even if she would only be staying a week, he would have to call her something. He thought for a moment.

"Dawn," he answered. It wasn't exactly a normal cat name, it was a little more suited for maybe an all black cat instead of a black and white one. But the more Benson thought about it, the more he liked it. Pops liked it as well.

"Well, I'll be sure to visit you and Dawn next Sunday!" Pops announced. He smiled at the two of them, said his goodbyes, and left. Benson looked down at the kitten in his arms. He had a kitten.

He sighed for the third time that day. "What did I just get myself into?"

()()()()()()()()()

After a day of shopping at the local pet store (which of course was having a Dog Training Day, which meant a dozen barking dogs in the store) plus groceries, Benson finally had time to relax. He plopped down in his soft chair and was just about to turn on the tv when he realized something. Where was Dawn?

"Dawn? Where are you, cat?" he called, looking all over. He hoped she didn't get into trouble already. Finally, he found her underneith his bed. "Come on out, I don't want to leave you in here." Dawn just looked at him with glowing eyes. He tried reaching for her, but she was too far away.

"Hmm," he said, thinking of an idea. He opened his closet, and grabbed one of his cricket shoes. He unlaced one of the shoelaces, and laid down on the floor again. "Come on cat, get the string."

In a flash, Dawn shot out from under the bed, and pounced on the string. She rolled over on her back, and nearly getting tangled up in the long piece of string. Benson couldn't help but laugh at the sight. Dawn looked up at him, as if to say "Are you laughing at me?"

"Come on you," he said, scooping her up, "it's relaxing time." Dawn mewed in reply. Part of Benson said "Great, you're talking to cats now?" The other part of him just simply didn't care.

Benson sat down in his chair, and pressed the POWER button. The cold glow of the tv lit up the room as the sun began to set. Almost instantly, Dawn curled up into a ball, and sat on Benson's lap, purring happily.

He wasn't used to having something so... warm and cuddly. But at the same time, it felt nice. Benson began to stroak her back, and Dawn purred louder. He hated having to admit it, even if it was Pops, but he was right. Maybe getting a kitten was a good idea.

Dawn purred and nuzzled Benson's hand before slipping into sleep. Benson smiled softly. "Goodnight, Dawn."

**Hope this wasn't too out of character for Benson or Pops. Please review, and thanks for reading!**


End file.
